By Stephen Smoot
For three quarters of a century, the West Virginia Purebred Sheep Breeders have held its sheep and goat sale in Petersburg. On April 26, at the Tri-County Fairgrounds in Petersburg, buyers, sellers, and others traveled to observe, examine, and make their purchase choices.
Agriculture students also came from across the state to take part in a sheep judging contest that awarded a number of different prizes and also a scholarship.
The event started on Thursday night with a welcome dinner, but judging did not commence until 10 a.m. on Saturday morning. Juniors also had an opportunity to enter a drawing that could provide them with a $75 gift certificate good toward “the purchase of breeding sheep and breeding goats.”
Two of the most important awards earned were Young Shepherds awards and the John Sponaugle Scholarship. As the West Virginia Purebred Sheep Breeders’ website explains, “John was a longtime member and supporter of the WVPSBA. Anyone that knew John, knew that he was an advocate for youth in agriculture.” It goes on to add that “The intent of this award is to assist in the development of a starter flock or help advance an existing flock, develop breeding skills and increase involvement in their abilities of raising breeding sheep.”
The scholarship was established in remembrance of Sponaugle’s devotion to the art and science of raising sheep to help the rising generations needed to continue the industry in the Mountain State.
For the Young Shepherd’s awards, “the intent is to develop starter flocks, develop breeding skills and increase involvement in their abilities of raising breeding sheep and goats.”
Each Young Shepherd and Sponaugle scholarship awardee received $1,000.
Pendleton County’s hard-working and experienced team claimed a number of awards.
Results are as follows: First-place senior team – Phoebe Pownell, Ty Heavner, and Katie Keyser; First-place junior team – Kallie Keyser, Branson Smith, Aiden Whetzel, and Tia Heavner; Third-place junior team – Tori Heavner, Bella Hoover, and Colton Whetzel; Overall individual results – Tori Heavner, first, Phoebe Pownell, second, Katie Keyser, third, Branson Smith, fourth, Ty Heavner, sixth, and Aiden Whetzel, seventh; Photography contest – Katie Keyser, black and white category and youth people in farm related activities; and Kami Keyser, people’s choice. Young Shepherd Scholarship Award winner was Phoebe Pownell.
In West Virginia, preparing the next generation of shepherds and other positions related to the sheep industry is vital as the Mountain State has seen healthy upticks in statistics recently.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, while West Virginia’s 36,000 head of sheep (as of Jan. 1 this year) pale in comparison to the 655,000 in top producer state Texas, the number rose 1,000 from the year prior.
Also in West Virginia, the lamb crop totaled 30,000, 2,000 more than in 2023. Also, shorn wool production rose 5,000 pounds from 2023 to 85,000 pounds.
The total number of head of sheep in the United States on Jan. 1 was 5.05 million.
